Machine movable and angularly displaceable on the ground



June 9, 1959 MACHINE MOVABLE AND ANGULARLY DISPLACEABLE ON THE GROUNDFiled Feb. 23, 1956 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 E. PICKMAN 2,889,685

E. PICKMAN June 9, 1959 MACHINE MOVABLE AND ANGULARLY DISPLACEABLE ONTHE GROUND 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Feb. 25, 1956 N x \N %N. N\/

E. PICKMAN June 9, 1959 MACHINE MOVABLE AND ANGULARLY DISPLACEABLE. ONTHE GROUND 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Feb. 23, 1956 v United States Patentme MACHINE MOVABLE AND ANGULARLY DIS- PLACEABLE ON THE GROUND EdgardPickman, Brussels, Belgium, assignor to Conipagnie Internationale desPieux Arms Frankignoul, Socit Anonyme, Liege, Belgium ApplicationFebruary 23, 1956, Serial No. 567,322 I Claims priority, applicationNetherlands March 2, 1955 5 Claims. (Cl. 61-73) Heavy-weight machines,particularly machines for driviing or extracting piles or lining tubesare known, which include a platform supporting the operating machine thejack type cooperating with the table and adapted to lower the machine soas to cause it to rest on the ground through the medium of the bearingmeans of the carrier frame, or to raise the machine by causing it torest on the ground through the medium of the table. In this. way, onemay produce a translative motion of the machine, including the table,when the machine rests on the ground through the medium of the carrierframe, whereas the machine, including the carrier frame, may haveimparted to it a rotary motion when the machine rests on the groundthrough the intermediary of the table.

The term thrust and directing table, as used above,

refers to an assembly including a thrust table intended to afford abearing on the ground and connected to the platform by means of amechanism that includes means for permitting relative rotary movementbetween the thrust table and platform about a vertical axis and liftingmeans for raising the platform with the thrust table bearing on theground. 7

In many operations performed by means of machines of the type describedabove it is useful that the center of gravity of the machine be close tothe point of action or of operation of the machine, that is to say, thepoint where the latter applies its useful force, for example the pointat which a pile or a tube is driven or pulled out. It will be clear,therefore, that the known machines suffer from the drawback that thecenter of gravity of the machine remains at all times close to the axisof the thrust and directing table.

According to the invention, the above disadvantage of the known machines:is eliminated owing to the fact that the table is suspended from asecondary frame mounted for limited horizontal motion underneath theplatform of the machine, parallel to the direction of the relativelongitudinal motion occurring between the platform and the carrierframe. Owing to this arrangement,

when the machine is in working position, that is to say,-

Brackets 16, fixed to the table 11, are engaged under Patented June 9,1959 to attain working points more distant from the axis of the tablethan has been possible hitherto.

According to one convenient way of carrying out the machine according tothe invention, the secondary frame from which is suspended the thrustand directing table, which is provided with the lifting means, is formedas a wheeled truck mounted for limited longitudinal running motion withrespect to the platform and with limited vertical play with respect tothe lower face of the platform. For instance, the wheeled truck formingthe secondary frame may be mounted for longitudinal motion within awheeled truck of greater length, which is rigidly secured to theplatform, the wheels of both trucks being mounted with vertical playbetween two common pairs of rails, each comprised of two verticallyspaced rails, rigidly secured to the carrier frame of the machine, thevertical play between the upper face of the truck forming the secondaryframe associated with the table and the corresponding lower face of theplatform being smaller than the vertical play between the said wheelsand the said rails. Preferably, the wheels of the truck forming thesecondary frame of the table are smaller than the wheels of the truckassociated with the platform.

Further features and advantages of the invention will appear from thefollowing detailed description of an illustrative embodiment thereofwhich is to be read with reference to the accompanying diagrammaticaldrawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a machine embodying the invention;

- Fig. 2 is .a plan view thereof;

Fig. 3. is a cross sectional view taken on line III-III of Fig. 2, withthe upper left hand portion of Fig. 3 corresponding to the line ofsection IIIa-IIIa of Fig. 2, certain components being omitted for theclarity of the drawing; and with the machine shown resting on thecarrier frame and the thrust and directing table being raised as in Fig.1, and

Fig. 4 is a view similar to that of Fig. 3, but showing the machineresting upon the table and the carrier frame raised.

The machine embodying the invention includes a platform 1 which may havemounted thereon any desired mechanism, for instance a machine fordriving and/or extracting piles, lining tubes, and the like. Theplatform is secured to a truck 2, 2a, which is provided with four wheels3 cooperating with two pairs of rails 4, 5, which are vertically spacedand are rigidly secured to a carrier frame 6 provided with hearingmembers 7, 8. The range of travel of the truck 2 on the rails 4, 5 islimited by the uprights 6a supporting the rails 5.

A second truck 9 forming a secondary frame is mounted for longitudinalmotion within the truck 2. In the example illustrated, the truck 2comprises a portion 2b of greater width having arranged therein thetruck 9 which is provided with wheels 10, the latter wheels'alsocooperating with the rails 4, 5 and having a smaller diameter than thewheels 3. The truck forming the secondary frame 9 is connected to adirecting table 11 through a central jack or through several jacks,preferably of the hydraulic type, spaced around the periphery of thetable 11 and operated by means of pipes conveying driving fluid, notshown in .the drawings. One component of each jack, for instance thepiston 12, is fixed to the truck 9, whereas the other component, viz.the cylinder 13, is fixed to the table 11. The table 11 is rotatablycoupled, through the medium of a roller bearing 14, with a seating orthrust table 15 having a surface large enough to be able to afford asatisfactory distribution of the weight of the machine on the ground.

an annulus 17 which is rigidly secured to the table 15, so as to providefor the centering of the two components 11 and 15 and for sustaining andcarrying along the table 15 when the table 11 is lifted.

The machine illustrated is particularly suitable for supporting anapparatus for driving and/or extracting piles, lining tubes, and so on,the guide-poles of sucn" apparatus being intended to be mounted at thelocation occupied by the projections 18 of the platform 1. In order tosecure a satisfactory distribution of the forces when a tube or the likeis being pulled out, two mechanical jacks 19 are provided at theplatform 1 and are brought into contact with the bearing members 7 whensuch withdrawal is to be effected. The jacks 19 are slightly spaced fromthe bearing members 7 when other operations are being performed.

In the position shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, the machine as a whole restson the ground by means of the bearing members 7, 8, the table 15 beingspaced from the ground by means of jacks each formed by a piston 12 anda cylinder 13, which have lifted the table 11 from which the table 15 issuspended by the brackets 16 In this position, the wheels 3, 10 of thetrucks 2, 9 rest upon the rails 4 of the carrier frame 6, with the upperface of the truck 9 forming the secondary frame being spaced from thelower face of the platform 1. The truck 9 can not be moved further tothe left, in which direction the machine is fed to perform the work ofdriving or extracting piles, etc., since the table 15 is held back bythe bearing members 7. The circle 20 shows the location of the mostadvanced pile that can be normally handled with the machine in theposition of Figs. 1, 2 and 3. However, the truck 2 and the platform 1may be moved still further to the left, independently of the truck 9,through a distance equal to the free space available between the trucks2 and 9, to the right of the latter, which makes it possible to handle apile in the location indicated by the circle 21. It will be seen thatthe fact that the center of gravity.

of the machine may be brought close to the operating point of themachine, outside the table 15, is very advantageous, especially as faras extraction of tubes, and the like, is concerned. When it is desiredto shift the machine, the truck 2 is brought bacl; to the position wherethe center of gravity of the machine comes to lie approximately on theaxis of rotation of the table 11. Then, the lifting jacks 12, 13 areoperated so that the seating table 15 will be made to bear on the groundand, thereupon, the truck 9 forming the secondary frame will be raisedso as to cause it to engage the platform 1 and raise the latter in turn,together with the truck 2 which is secured thereto and whose wheels 3will then be brought into contact with the upper rails 5, so that thecarrier frame 6 will also be raised, together with the bearing members7, 8, so as to attain the position shown in Fig, 4. The frame 6 willthen be resting upon the wheels 3 by means of the rails 5, whereas thewheels 10 remain disengaged from the rails 5 by reason of the differencebetween the diameters of the relatively small wheels and the relativelylarge wheels 3. In this position, the assembly consisting of carrierframe 6 and bearing members 7 and 8 may be moved by running on thewheels 3, in the direction in which the machine is to be fed. Then, ifthe bearing members 7, 8 are again lowcred onto the ground, the trucks 2and 9 will be able to be moved on the rails 4 and it will thus bepossible to bring the platform 1 to a new position of Work. More over,when the machine assumes the position shown in Fig. 4, all the othercomponents of the machine may be rotated as a whole on theltable 15, soas to change the angular position of the machine. 7 The aforesaid linearand angular displacements may be produced by any suitable means, forinstance, hydraulic or mechanical driving means.

In order to make sure that the wheels 3, 10 will remain ticaldisplacements of those components, one may provide mutual guide means ofany character, though, normally, such components do not run the risk ofundergoing a relative lateral displacement while effecting those smallvertical displacements. i

It is to be noted that a vertical play is provided between the truck 9forming the secondary frame and the platform 1, in order that the truck2 with the platform 1 may travel freely when the machine assumes theposi tionshown in Fig. 3. Moreover, the vertical play between the whecls3, 10 and the rails 4, 5 has been made larger than the play between thetruck 9 and the platform, inorder that, during the lifting step (Fig.4), the axles of the wheels will not assume the load of lifting theplatform, sincethe force required to this end should be applied directlyby the truck 9 to the said platform. Moreover, the wheels 3 should begiven a larger diameter than that of the wheels 10 in order that thewheels 3 should act alone on the rails 5 for lifting the carrier frame 6withits bearing members 7 and 8. This arrangement provides for a goodstability of the carrier frame and its bearing members when the carrierframe moves towards the position shown in Fig. 4, while at the 1, sametime preventing any action upon the wheels of the, truck 9 during thetranslative motion of the platform.

Itwill be understood that the invention is not restricted. to theconstruction as described and illustrated, since variouschanges may bemade therein without departing. from the spirit of the invention.

1 daimi 1. A machine which is movable and angularly displace, able onthe ground, comprising a platform adapted to sup'portan operatingmachine, a carrier frame, means connecting said platform to said carrierframe and permitting limited relative longitudinal movement and limitedvertical play therebetween so that said platform and carrier frame forman assembly, bearing means on said carrier frame adapted for hearingengagement with the ground, a secondary frame underneath said platform,means connecting said secondary frame to said assembly formed by thecarrier frame and platform and permitting limited horizontal movement,parallel to the direction of said relative longitudinal movement of thecarrier frame and platform, and also limited vertical play with respectto'said assembly, a thrust table adapted for engagement with the ground,and mechanism suspending said thrust, tablefrom said secondary frame andincluding means I permitting relative rotary movement of said thrusttable and secondary frame about a vertical axis and lifting meansoperative to raise said secondary frame relative to i said thrust tableso that, with the latter bearing on the ground, said secondary frameengages said platform and lifts the latter through a distance exceedingsaid limited vertical play between said platform and carrier frame,thereby to raise the latter with said bearing means thereon while saidthrust table supports the machine on the ground.

2. A machine as in claim 1; wherein said carrier frame includesvertically spaced apart upper and lower rails, andsaid meansconnectingthe platform to the carrier frameincludes a first trucksecured to said platform and having wheels between said upper and lowerrails with the diameter of said wheels being less than the verticalspacing between said upper and lower rails by the amount of said limitedvertical play between the platform and carrier frame; and wherein saidsecondary frame is in the form of 'a second truck having wheels betweensaid upper and lower rails of the carrier frame with the diameter. ofsaid wheels of the second, truck being less than said vertical spacingbetween the rails by an amount. which is greater thansaid limitedvertical playbetwecn said secondary frame and said assembly.

3. A machine as in claim 2; wherein the diameter of said wheels of thesecond truck is smaller than the diarr eter of the wheels of the firsttruck so that, when said platform is lifted by said secondary frame,said wheels of the first truck will engage said upper rails to raisesaid carrier frame while said wheels of the second truck are stillspaced from said upper rails.

4. A machine as in claim 1; wherein said mechanism suspending the thrusttable from said secondary frame includes a lower part rotatable withrespect to said thrust table about said vertical axis, and said liftingmeans comprises at least one jack between said secondary frame and saidlower part.

5. A machine which is movable and angularly displaceable on the ground,comprising a platform adapted to support an operating machine, a carrierframe, means connecting said platform to said carrier frame andpermitting limited relative longitudinal movement and limited verticalplay therebetween, bearing means on said carrier frame adapted forhearing engagement with the ground, a secondary frame underneath saidplatform and adapted to act upwardly against the latter, meansconnecting said secondary frame to said carrier frame and permittinglimited vertical play therebetween as well as limited relativehorizontal movement between said secondary and carrier frames, and hencebetween said secondary frame and said platform, parallel to thedirection of said limited longitudinal movement between said carrierframe and platform, said limited vertical play between said secondaryframe and carrier frame being large enough topermit said secondary frameto act upwardly against said platform independently of any upward actionof said secondary frame on said carrier frame, a thrust table adaptedfor engagement with the ground, and mechanism suspending said thrusttable from said secondary frame and including means permitting relativerotary movement between said thrust table and secondary frame about avertical axis and lifting means operative to raise said secondary framerelative to said thrust table so that, with the latter bearing on theground, said secondary frame engages said platform and lifts the latterthrough a distance exceeding said limited vertical play between saidplatform and carrier frame, whereupon the latter is suspended from saidplatform with said bearing means raised clear of the ground.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,099,078 Romine Nov. 16, 1937 2,152,264 Loft Mar. 28, 1939 2,609,667Jourdain Sept. 9, 1952

